B12 is a common deficiency and important for optimal health. B12 is a water-soluble vitamin and therefore has an exceptionally low risk of toxicity. If your body has too much, it is usually excreted in the urine and bile. There is some storage of B12 in the liver. However, it is exceedingly difficult to absorb and what I see is that many people are deficient in this important nutrient.
Vitamin B12 is absorbed in your stomach with the help of a protein called intrinsic factor glycoprotein. This substance binds to the vitamin B12 molecule and helps your blood, and cells absorb it. Small amounts of B12 are absorbed in the small intestine. If intrinsic factor is low, then poor absorption of B12 results and this condition is called pernicious anemia.
B12 is common in the elderly due to the decrease of intrinsic factor. This deficiency often results in neurological, cerebral, and psychiatric abnormalities.
B12 contains cobalt also known as cobalamin and is exclusively synthesized by bacteria and found mainly in red meat and eggs but rarely found in any plants. Most vegetarians get their B12 from fortified foods.
B12 is needed for the synthesis of red blood cells, the maintenance of the nervous system, and growth and development in children.
Symptoms of B12 deficiency include excessive fatigue, breathlessness, listlessness, pallor and poor resistance to infection, sore tongue, tingling in extremities, menstrual disorders, mental disorders, to name a few.
B12 replacement can also be helpful with diabetic neuropathy and retinopathy, asthma, vitiligo, and dermatitis.
Intramuscular injections are more effective in the form of hydroxocobalamin when needed in high doses. Oral supplementation at high dose is dependent on the ability to absorb it.
Antacids and drugs that inhibit gastric acid secretion may impair the absorption of B12 from food and any supplementation.
Lab tests of serum B12 are not accurate and useful urinary methylmalonic acid is accurate. Erythrocyte cell size is also helpful but can lag by 6-months. This means a deficiency may not show up if it is recent. Long term deficiencies can be seen by mean corpuscular volume (MVC) levels.
B12 in the methylated form is best for oral absorption with cofactors such as folate, and methylated B vitamins like riboflavin and B6.
We offer several oral B12 supplements, stop by and check it out.
